Vestavia Hills Elementary East enrollment surge prompts summer renovation approval

The Vestavia Hills City Schools board approved a $699,621 bid from CT General Contractors LLC and a letter of intent to execute a contract for renovations to the former cafeteria at Vestavia Hills Elementary East to add classroom and office space.

Superintendent (unnamed) told the board East’s official enrollment for the current year was 724 students, but that “as of today” East’s enrollment stands at 808 — an increase that strains the school’s existing classroom capacity. Officials said grades 2 through 5 average roughly 126 students per grade, while the current kindergarten cohort reached about 164 this year; staff reported 144 kindergarten students already enrolled for the next year and warned that the school has no additional classroom space beyond the construction planned for the summer renovation.

The letter of intent (LOI) approved at the meeting allows the district to instruct the contractor to begin purchasing materials and other lead items so the district can move quickly on the summer project; staff noted the board took the bid on a recent Thursday and needed the LOI because there was not enough time to finalize a full contract before summer procurement must begin.

Mister Boone (staff member referenced by board) reviewed the bid details with district staff and confirmed readiness to begin once the LOI was executed. Superintendent (unnamed) said the addition would add “a couple of classrooms and some office spaces” to help accommodate growth but acknowledged that the renovations will not fully resolve long-term capacity imbalance in the zone and that future boundary or enrollment management conversations may be required.

Board members discussed zoning and capacity planning as a future agenda topic but approved the renovation contract bid and LOI so work can begin this summer. The board also approved related personnel and administrative items later in the meeting.